Well of sorrows

Chicago Tribune, June 19, 1857. This tragic story is a perennial: a depressed and desperately overtaxed mother kills her children just to buy herself permission to commit suicide. I could post dozens of examples had I saved every one I came across, but I’ve tended not to stockpile them just because they’re so awful to contemplate. With nine kids this poor woman could have had post-partum syndrome several times over.